Lois Lowry‘s first novel A Summer to Die left me crying. Not a dainty sniffle. But a red eyed, snotty, gulping, sobbing, guttural pain that tears through your throat and lungs to the pit of your stomach. In the book, sisters Meg and Molly have petty, angry squabbling particularly when they move to the country and need to share a bedroom. As the year goes by, Meg becomes ill and (no spoiler here as you know the ending due to the title) eventually dies.

I love so many aspects of this book but one that stands out in my mind is the description of photographs and their importance in capturing emotions yet this is illustrated only in words. For in this book, one thousand words are far better than a picture.